Somewhere Between the Earth and the Sky
by Anonymoo
Summary: A war is coming…the likes of which no one has ever seen. A NaruSaku Sequel to "Let's Fall in Love"
1. Prologue

**A/N: Because I have taken a rather long time to write down the sequel, I have decided to give a teaser- well technically the prologue to Somewhere Between the Earth and the Sky. This is all because the readers have been supportive and very helpful. So, I hope this can hold you until chapter one. Yes, it's short, but that's how it goes. Enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading.**

* * *

Sixteen years prior to the present

"Sakura, my love, have you heard the tale about the Bloody Moon?"

A four year old Sakura sat in a modest house staring at her grandmother, entranced with the older woman's words. The little girl shook her head and moved to sit upon the matriarch's lap, anticipating the story to come. The grandmother welcomed the child into her embrace and combed the cherry locks that were her legacy. Old Asuka Haruno looked softly down to her only granddaughter and smiled sweetly before she spoke.

"Then listen well and sing along—"And soon came a voice strong and true, despite the years that had passed since the song was last sung.

"_Somewhere between the Earth and the Sky_

_She looks for my soul, for there it should fly_

_She cried those tears, my Sweet turned red_

_I had been the Sun that shined on her head_

_Somewhere between the Moon and her Sun_

_She looked to the stars and found there were none_

_Children will race into Fire's land_

_To help seek a Nine twixt forest__ and sand_

_Somewhere between the Flesh and the Bone_

_My soul lies imprisoned, sins not atoned_

_And so she will go, into this mind_

_Should she open the Gates, it's Hell I find…_"

"The Moon was angry?" Sakura's voice was soft and unsure of itself.

"Oh, quite, my love," her grandmother said. "The Moon felt that she was abandoned by her lover and decided to take revenge by finding him and starting a war—with the help of the stars, of course."

"What's war?"

The old Haruno woman looked into those innocent green eyes, her mind set deep into thought. How could anyone ever explain the horrors of battle to a small child? Asuka Haruno had seen enough bloodshed in her time that could fill the bodies of every being in the village. She had lost her husband to the second Ninja World War after he served his village in the first. For so many years, the widowed woman had sat there and wondered what good came from the blood that had spilled. Asuka shook her head and looked back down to her granddaughter, finally moving her wrinkled lips to form her next words.

"War," Asuka quickly blinked away any trace of her tears and continued what would be the most difficult sentence of her long life, "is something I hope you will never see…"


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks to my readers and to my Beta Reader! So grateful to all of you! Now, this will be a mature story, so kiddies be warned!**

***I do not own Naruto*, sadly.  
**

* * *

**Begin Chapter 1:**

"All right, listen up," Tsunade barked, "_all_ of you." Her sharp brown eyes darted instantly to her right, landing on—who else?—Naruto Uzumaki. The brat looked tired, and he had plenty reason to be. Between training, missions and work, and raising a six month old baby—life did not exactly leave room for a good night's sleep. But Tsunade had no choice. She tried her best to not assign a mission to the two at the same time, but this occasion not only called for the Uzumaki's—but the _entire_ team. The Hokage rolled her eyes and slammed a rather flamboyantly decorated scroll down onto her desk. Half of Team Seven jumped into consciousness while the other half remained stoic as usual.

"You lot are to go to the Diamond country and gather some information from the people around there. Ask little, give little, but take in as much as you can." Tsunade watched the eyes of Team Seven and landed on her student's rather brightened green orbs. There was obviously a question waiting on the tip of the kunoichi's tongue, but years of training had taught her to not speak unless spoken to during mission briefs. Tsunade tucked in her smile; she had taught the girl well.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"What are we trying to find out?"

Tsunade's brow knitted in thought for only a moment. "That is something I cannot tell you."

Naruto interjected immediately. "But how the hell are we supposed to complete this mission without knowing what to do, _baa-chan_?"

"Quiet, _Dobe_."

"Don't call me _Dobe_,_ Teme_!"

"Both of you, _quiet_!" Tsunade could tell Sakura wanted to beat the shit out of her teammates. She was showing a lot of restraint for a sleep deprived mother and wife. The pink haired student turned her sharpened eyes away from Naruto and Sasuke to focus her attention back onTsunade. "Why can you not tell us, _Shissou_?"

"Because I don't know yet." The Hokage pointed to the scroll she had previously slammed onto her desk. "I received this enigmatic letter last night and still am not sure what to make of it. All it talks about is some rather rowdy foreigners on their turf. I would normally leave them to their own stupid problems, but Fire needs to maintain peace between its borders, and the Diamond country doesn't have an army of its own. It relies on its neighbors to protect it. So," Tsunade sighed, wishing with every fiber of her being that she had a cold glass of hard liquor in her hand right now, "here we are." Though she didn't exactly tell them the entire truth, it was only for their benefit. She might as well not tell them something that most likely wasn't true. At least, the Godaime hoped it wasn't. That was what this mission was to affirm.

Tsunade looked over to a rather lazy looking Kakashi and found his one opened eye studying her calmly. No doubt he would have found out the real reason behind this. His old friends being quite the damn blabbermouths that they were could have told him about their similar missions. But at least he would know to keep his mouth shut unless the occasion called for information to be known.

"When do we leave?" Naruto's voice broke through the blonde woman's train of thought, and Tsunade regained her composure.

"Tonight. The mission shouldn't take too long, three days at the most." The Hokage saw the two parents shift uncomfortably and sighed. "You can leave him with me. _Kami _knows how many favors you milked out of the Nara's and Inuzuka's already for babysitting."

"Shissou, no…we…" The pink haired woman's stance faltered slightly with nerves, her mind obviously blank of any other babysitters. Tsunade knew this would happen, but she had no qualms with taking care of Toru. The little bugger kind of grew on her, despite his rather similar and somewhat annoying characteristics of his father.

"Sakura, have I ever given you reason to think of me as an incompetent Hokage?" The older woman's words made the student's face pale with fear. Sakura respected the older kunoichi and by no means had she ever harbored any sort of ill-will towards her shissou. Sakura shook her head quickly in response.

"So don't you think that as a medic-nin and your shissou, I have the ability to take care of your son?" Tsunade knew she had obviously won this rather small dispute and smirked. "All right, it's settled. Pack lightly. And I wish you luck." The Hokage hoped they wouldn't need it.

* * *

Sakura kissed Toru repeatedly on his forehead and tickled his stomach—the combination never ceased to make him laugh. Sakura was trying her hardest to not cry. This was the first time both Naruto and Sakura would be out of the village at the same time. Usually one of the two was a breadths' walk away from him—but this time…

The new mother picked Toru up again and tried to calm herself down. If Toru caught wind of something wrong, he would instantly go into tears. Yes, he was generally one of the happiest babies that Sakura had ever seen—and she had seen quite a share at the Hospital—but once either parent left, he would cry for hours. _Kami_ knows how long he would cry when they were **both** gone for longer than a day.

Sakura leaned her head against the small boy's and breathed in deeply his scent of baby powder, watermelon shampoo, and—

"_NARUTO_!" Sakura put Toru down into his crib, the little one not even fazed by his mother's outburst. He was gradually getting used to the Uzumaki family lifestyle.

"Yeah?" The blond idiot was packing the rest of their things before they were to head off to Tsunade-shissou's place. Sakura felt somewhat uneasy about letting Naruto pack Toru's things, but he was getting a little bit better about not forgetting to put in extra diapers and his favorite stuffed toy. Sakura would double check anyway.

"You fed him ramen again, _didn't you_?" Sakura walked into the master room and found the blond man frozen in place. He turned around after a moment—probably to think of an excuse, Sakura thought to herself.

"Only the broth, Sakura-chan…he sounded like he was getting a cold, so I wanted to give him something to warm his throat…"

"He's SIX months old, _BAKA_. His body isn't ready to process ramen yet!" Sakura picked up a nearby stuffed animal and threw it directly at her husband's stupid head. And though the toy was filled with cotton, with the pink haired woman's infamous strength, the contact was strong enough to knock the poor blond shinobi right onto the floor. Sakura growled and grabbed their small packs and Toru's large overnight bag, hauling them back to the main room.

"Hurry, up Naruto—or we'll be late!"

"_H-Hai_, Sakura-chan."

* * *

"You're late." Sasuke wore loose, casual, dark clothes—as was required for this mission. Sakura and Naruto wore similar clothes—Sakura opting for a red zip top and a darker shade of red for her jacket, as well as a black skirt with skin tight shorts underneath for maneuvering. It took about twenty minutes of arguing to get Naruto to put his orange pants back into his closet and to wear a pair of dark blue pants and a black shirt with a dark green zip jacket. They were not to draw attention, and _Kami_ knows that orange didn't exactly say subtle.

"Genius here forgot to pack Toru's bottles." Sakura looked to Naruto and felt her heart waver slightly. He had a look of absolute dejection on his face—he really did try when packing Toru's things. The kunoichi sighed and reminded herself that this was a mission and that she needed to set her personal things aside for now.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yo." And in a poof of smoke, there the silver haired ninja stood, his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Sorry I'm late. I was busy going over the mission's scroll."

"You've lost your touch at making ridiculous excuses, Kakashi-sensei. I almost believed you." Sakura's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"It's not an excuse, Sakura. I was memorizing the scroll. This mission needs to be by the book. So pay attention closely, because I will not repeat myself."

Sakura instantly snapped her mind into focus, inwardly chiding herself for her comment. Well, it wasn't wholly wrong for her to assume her sensei would lie about his reasons for being late, but she needed to focus on the mission. The kunoichi looked onward towards the elder shinobi and waited for him to continue.

"As for our aliases, they will be simple. We are simple travelers passing through the Diamond country, interested in bartering our goods for their diamonds. You are absolutely _forbidden_ from giving any sign that you know any _jutsu_. And Sakura," Kakashi's bare, dark eye flickered towards her and spoke fluidly, "you are my niece. You are traveling with me, studying botany under my eye. And you are _unmarried_."

"HEY!" Naruto instantly barked, but Sakura placed a firm hand onto his shoulder. Sakura knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but it still stung her nonetheless.

"A single woman is able to find looser lips, Naruto." Kakashi spoke bluntly, but his visible eye looked sympathetic. "Sakura is a capable kunoichi, and I doubt she will let anyone get the better of her."

Damn right, Sakura thought. The woman knew that if she were to pose as a single woman, that meant she needed to use what assets she had to gather some rather seedy information. Sakura didn't have that much experience in using her sexuality to gather information—more like torturing or beating someone within an inch of their life to retrieve any news. But there had been, on some occasions, missions that called for the kunoichi to seduce a few dirty politicians into relinquishing their secrets and betrayals.

But back then she wasn't married.

Sakura could only hope she could keep her cool throughout this mission. Or at least that Naruto wouldn't go ballistic and blow the team's cover.

"We'll be staying at the Diamond Inn. Sasuke and Sakura will stake out the Harper's Bar next to the Inn while Naruto and I will make our way through town and talk with the merchants. Any questions?"

"Why can't I stake out the bar with Sakura?" Naruto's voice sounded somewhat calmer, though his eyes betrayed his fuming annoyance.

"Because, _Dobe_, if you're with her, you won't focus on the task at hand. She's a distraction to you."

"So you don't trust that I can take this mission seriously." The blond was clearly offended by Sasuke's words.

"No. I don't."

"Well, what about you, huh?!"

"I'm not the one enamored with Sakura," Sasuke said simply, "and I wouldn't let my feelings get the best of me, _Dobe_."

"_Enough_." Kakashi stepped in between the two and stared them down, instantly silencing the men. "This is no time for some petty dispute. We need to get going. You will follow my orders whether you like it or not." Their ex-sensei passed his gaze among the three. "Is that clear?" The younger shinobi nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

The road to Diamond country was not something very memorable. Long stretches of farmland; plot after plot after plot of vegetables and rice paddies. Because their surroundings were so bland, it left a lot of time to talk about their course of action, but mostly…it left time to think. Sakura found herself thinking nonstop about what she left behind. It never got easier to leave Toru while she went on another dangerous mission…where there was always a chance that she would not come back. Sometimes she would find it hard to sleep and would wake up feeling groggy and cranky.

But this mission was different. Naruto was with her, and the both of them were able to share their anxiety. So even though there was a dull ache in her heart for her child, Naruto was there to ease the pain ever so slightly. And when Sakura would have trouble sleeping, Naruto would sit with her and run his fingers through her hair until she was able to fall back asleep. And when they were walking by the farmlands, some children ran by laughing and almost instantly she felt Naruto's hand wrap around hers, squeezing gently in comfort. He knew her only too well. Sakura might feel strong, but she was still a mother first, a kunoichi second. It was hard to put the mission ahead of her heart.

By the time the team closed in on their destination, the mountains began to rise higher and higher. The farmlands were far and few between, and in their absence, cities took their place. Buildings stretched high up into the air, blocking out what little sunlight the smoke from the factories let through. Sakura loved to travel to cities every now and then, but visiting them always made her have a greater appreciation for her big but simple village. With the cool air, smiling faces, and…

She needed to focus, especially now that they had arrived at their destination. Not only were shinobi skilled fighters, but they were world class actors. They needed to be in order to slip by unnoticed. So in the woman sunk, deep into the mindset of her character. Sakura was the niece of Kakashi, as well as his student, learning about botany. She was single and was curious about men flirting with her or giving her lustful looks—in fact, she rather enjoyed them. The pink haired woman must cloak her kunoichi side and bring about the guise of a naïve student.

Sakura saw Sasuke casually draw closer to her, and as light as the wind itself, his voice reached her ears. "We'll stop by the room and you and I will head to the bar separately. Meet back at the room around one or two."

Sakura turned towards her companion and smiled lightly in response. The dark haired shinobi's face kept its usual smooth, apathetic look.

"If anything goes wrong, you are to immediately withdraw back to the Inn, understand?"

Another smile, though this one was strained. How dare he treat her like some Genin level idiot! He might as well have told her '_Don't fuck this up_.' The kunoichi restrained herself from letting her tongue loose and whipping harsh, colorful words at the Uchiha. _Kami_ knows how smug he would be if she let her emotions get the best of her.

After the group checked into their room, Sakura immediately went to the bathroom, getting to work. She reached back behind her head and loosed her hair from its ponytail, letting the pink locks fall freely to her shoulders. She found that she looked much more attractive with her hair down. The woman reached into her pack and pulled out some cosmetics and lightly applied some colored gloss to her lips, smudged black kohl to the lining of her eyes, and finally sprayed some light perfume to the nape of her neck. This would have to do, because this was the limit of Sakura's tolerance for make-up.

The woman adjusted her skirt and opted to leave her jacket on over her tight top. Though her character was naïve and somewhat flirty, she was still an educated woman and would 'tease, not please,' as Ino had put it.

"Sakura-chan?" She heard Naruto's voice from the other side of the bathroom door. Sakura opened the door and found Naruto running his fingers nervously through his already messy hair, his eyes focusing intensely upon his shoes.

"Naruto, what's wrong? You're supposed to go barter with the merchants."

"I just wanted to—" Naruto stopped his sentence the moment his eyes met with Sakura. "Whoa."

"What?" Sakura instantly felt self-conscious. She _knew_ that stupid stick of kohl was too much—and now Sakura couldn't help but think she might look like some pink raccoon.

"Y-you…look…"

"Look, Naruto, you know I'm not good at this kind of thing. I tried, okay?" Sakura nervously brushed her hair behind her ear and walked past Naruto, unwilling to look in the mirror again. But a firm grip on her wrist stopped her.

"That's not what I meant." Naruto pulled her close to him. "You look beautiful." Instantly Sakura could feel a deep blush darken her cheeks. The blond idiot was sometimes so romantic it drove her crazy. But that was one of the millions of reasons she loved him.

"I have to go, _baka_." She pulled away from his grasp and strapped on her usual weapons: kunai, senbon, and a few cursed parchments in case things got really out of hand. Sakura turned to Naruto and opened her mouth to say something. But she decided now wasn't the time. She walked towards him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you here at one, promise?"

Naruto smiled, and though his face reddened in a blush, his eyes darkened with gravity. "I promise, Sakura-chan."

"I will burn all of your orange pants if you are one minute late, _baka_. So you better be on time." The blond shinobi gulped, knowing that Sakura's words were no bluff. He nodded, and Sakura took off towards Harper's Bar.

* * *

Sasuke was already settled into the background of the dark tavern and had ordered a glass of vodka on the rocks. Though he would feign it, the Uchiha would not touch one ounce of the libation that night. He would keep his wits about him, unlike the rest of the crowd in this pathetic cesspool. Men were drinking straight from the pitchers of beer brought to them by the scantily clad waitresses. The women were loose and the men were all in hot pursuit. Sasuke never understood how any woman could throw herself so willingly at men, asking for just one night in their bed. The Uchiha had found that all of the women he had ever met were like this, disgustingly open with their sexuality and not against sleeping with a different man every night.

But it wasn't as if Sasuke didn't have carnal desires himself. The dark haired shinobi, on occasion, would bed a woman—but he had never slept with a woman of Konoha. None of the women there had ever piqued his interest in the slightest. Besides, if he ever chose a woman there, he would never hear the end of it through all the gossip and rumors. Not long after he had returned to Konoha had women begun to throw themselves at him once more, asking to be the bearer of his child. And even though it was exactly what the Uchiha wanted, he refused them all. And to this day he never knew why. Oh, sure, there were those occasional women who were known to have slept with half of Konoha—but there were genuine girls who had substantial background that would do well to mix with the strong Uchiha blood and who were innocent and chaste. Perfect candidates for the bearer of his child.

Yet still he chose none of them.

The Uchiha kept his focus shifting from person to person throughout the tavern and broke down all the possibilities of who they should investigate. From what the Godaime had told them, some foreigners were making the natives uncomfortable. Maybe they were stealing from their factories or mines? No, obviously they were used to people wanting to steal their product; it was the Diamond Country. They must have the best security around. But what would make a small country sweat? They might have a few very capable men to watch over their product, but they didn't have their own army because of their small population. So they relied on the other countries to protect them.

_Who owned this land again?_ Sasuke's mind halted in thought as his attention was diverted to the entrance of the bar.

Light broke through the room as the door to the bar swung open. Sasuke watched as several (if not all) pairs of eyes glued themselves to the newcomer. The Uchiha knew instantly who it was, though he really did not see the point in all the gawking. Although Sakura did look somewhat more acceptable than she usually looked, it was nothing special. Sasuke looked onward as he watched men practically rape her with their eyes. A blind man could tell what was going through all of their minds. But the Uchiha knew that if one of the men stepped out of line with the Haruno girl, she'd snap their necks if not their man-hoods right off. The shinobi rolled his eyes and scanned the crowd over the prop glass of alcohol.

—And instantly landed on something quite interesting.

* * *

It took Sakura a moment to pinpoint Sasuke's position. He had chosen to sit somewhat towards the back of the bar, but not as far to where it would look suspicious. It was the perfect area of where a local would choose to sit; away from the tourists, but close to the party.

And was there ever a party.

The fluorescent lights were low, but the kunoichi could still see with the other colored flashing lights. There were men laughing, women grinding, and drinks spilling, pouring and spilling again. Music was pumping from the other side of the room where a dance floor was built, and the brave and the drunk made their way to move clumsily along with the music. On the side where Sakura stood sat the bar and tables that were laden with pitchers and unconscious people. It was only eleven at night.

The pink haired woman looked around quickly, noticing quite a few pairs of eyes following her, and decided to sit at a bar stool. She had sat for only a moment before she was approached by a man.

"What can I get a fine looking woman like you tonight?" His breath smelled like whiskey, and it burned Sakura's nostrils.

"Hm…" Sakura smoothed her voice over so that it sounded soft and innocent but with a hint of seduction. "What tastes good here?" She felt like an absolute idiot talking like this, but she knew that eighty to ninety percent of the time, this technique worked on the men she interrogated. And the way this man was ogling her chest and legs made her chances pretty damn good.

"Mmm, nothing as good as you look tonight, honey. But I bet our barkeep could mix you up something real nice." The man waved over the bartender and mouthed some words to him. From the looks of it, he was ordering Sakura a Jack and Coke. Hard liquor right off the bat—this man was not one to beat around the bush. The man leaned in towards Sakura and whispered not so lightly in her ear. The kunoichi repressed her urge to rip his intestines out through his mouth.

"How about we have a nice chat in my booth, away from all this music?" The woman had a pretty damn good idea of what _chat_ he wanted to have, and though Sakura was on a mission, she would have none of that.

"Maybe later, okay? I want to enjoy my drink." Sakura thanked the bartender as he handed her a glass filled with the dark mixture and lifted it slightly towards the man. He would have to deal with it, Sakura thought. This man gave her no vibe of being suspicious other than being a complete pervert. The man looked at her once more and sighed like she was the one who lucked out.

"All right, sweetheart, I'll be in the back if you feel like having a _stimulating_ conversation." Sakura smiled sweetly and put her drink down. She would not touch the alcohol tonight. The woman drifted her green eyes over the crowd and found Sasuke idly watching someone over the rim of his drinking glass. She followed his gaze and found quite a scene.

A young man in his twenties was surrounded by women who were begging him for a dance or a kiss. He was dressed up in a white suit with a light purple shirt and a dark purple tie with his short black hair slicked back. He had a glass of clear liquid in his right hand, and his eyes roamed nonchalantly over the women like they were nothing to him, just décor for the bar and dance floor. Sakura knew this man was rich. And rich men held quite some secrets about the lands they lived on. So if she were to find anything about shady business, she would need to loosen his lips.

The kunoichi unzipped her jacket and crossed her legs, letting her skirt ever so slightly pull back. She held her glass in her hand but did not drink it. She idly looked onward, passing her gaze over the crowds, missing the few lecherous looks from the men in the place and eventually brought her eyes back towards the rich man in the white suit. Sakura knew this wasn't a man to approach. He needed to approach her in order to get any information out of him.

Sakura decided to move herself to a table and get situated near another person who caught her interest. If the man wanted to approach her, he would. For now, she set her sights on another rich looking man who seemed to be a bit nervous around women and who would act quite flustered whenever a waitress would walk by or ask him if he wanted another drink. Sakura decided this was the one for her to approach. She walked from the bar slowly towards the man, her eyes lightly fluttering, innocent and not too huntress-like. Once she caught the man's attention, she smiled softly and the man wiped the back of his neck, probably sweating from his blood pumping so quickly.

"Hi, may I sit here?" Sakura spoke softly so as not to scare him. The man was shaky, but nonetheless he nodded in response, and Sakura took a seat not too far from the man. She leaned in towards him and kept a soft smile on her face. "So what brings you here tonight?" An innocent question to break the ice.

"N-nothing…just wanted a d-drink to loosen up before I head on back to my room." This man was like the male version of Hinata with his nervous stuttering. But something didn't quite fit in right with it. The kunoichi nodded in kind to his answer and ran her finger along the rim of her Jack and Coke.

"That sounds like you've had a rough day." Gently, Sakura told herself, gently lead him.

"W-well, I guess so." The man took a sip from his drink. A rather big sip.

"What's your name?" Sakura looked into his eyes, memorizing his face and any other signature looks he might have, such as tattoos or scars. He had none, but his eyes were an intense shade of purple.

"L-look, I've got to get going, Miss, but it was nice meeting you." The man slapped a bill onto the table and shot up from his seat. He nodded towards Sakura and immediately shot for the door. Sakura inwardly cussed herself out for pushing him too hard. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"Oh, don't sweat it, honey—Yuki just isn't feeling it like he usually does." Sakura turned around to find one of the waitresses picking up the bill the man named Yuki had left for his drink. Sakura studied the woman for a quick moment before realizing this could be a good source.

"Really? But I thought I was doing pretty well…"

"Oh, sweetie, you were, believe me. But…" The woman's voice dropped low as she leaned in towards Sakura and continued, "Between me and you, he's never been the same ever since his father sold the estate."

"Estate?"

The waitress nodded and sighed. "Out of towner? Yuki's father owned this entire _country_ up until about two weeks ago. He owned the factories, the mills, the hotels-hell, he even owned this little joint! He named it after his late wife, Harper." This woman might as well have had an arrow pointing right at her. She apparently loved to gossip even more than Ino-pig!

"Well, who bought the place?" Sakura could only guess it was some big politician. How could no one else know about such a trade of ownership as the Diamond country. This could affect the trade markets depending on whoever bought the original owner out. This info needed to get to Shissou right away.

"No one knows. Nothing around here has changed at all, and usually the names of companies and stores are the first things to go. But all I know is…it really shook poor Yuki up. Used to be like that man in the corner right there—" The waitress pointed towards the man in the white suit. "Now he just comes in for a few drinks and leaves." The woman sighed. "Well, I better get back to work. Do you want me to freshen that drink up, honey? You haven't touched it all night and I'm sure it's gone bad."

Sakura shook her head politely and thanked the woman. She had enough information for the night, and when she turned to look for Sasuke, she found him already gone. It was time for her to go back to her room for debrief with the rest of her team.

Sakura paid for her drink and headed out of the door of the bar and towards the inn right across the street. But first she stopped by a convenience store and picked up a few things to eat, not having eaten anything since that morning. And she knew that her teammates would only be grateful for the extra grub. On the way out Sakura dropped a bowl of instant ramen and picked it up only to freeze in place. On the breath of the wind, a soft, familiar tune reached her ears. For the life of her, she couldn't place it, but the melody sounded like something she had heard before. A nursery rhyme, maybe? No…it sounded different than any nursery rhyme she had ever heard before.

Sakura shook away her thoughts and realized that if she didn't hurry up, she would be late.

* * *

About two blocks away from where the pink haired kunoichi walked, there stood a tall stranger cloaked in black, who softly sang an old, familiar tune.

"_Children will race into Fire's land_

_To help seek a Nine twixt forest and sand_"


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: I apologize for the long wait. Outside forces and such happen from time to time. Enjoy. Oh, and kiddies be warned, this is not a child's tale.**

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Sakura wanted to rip every single cherry colored strand off her head- she was so stupid! How could she be so naïve as to think such juicy information would turn up the first damn night of this mission?

Last night's debriefing ended in one horrible embarrassment. The moment she opened her mouth to tell Kakashi-sensei about what the bar waitress had said, her info was immediately dismissed. And what was worse? Sasuke suggested that she be positioned in the bazaar. That she was just a "distraction" to him.

"_That red-headed waitress, right? I already talked to her."_

"_Well, I—" Sakura's mind froze in thought. She never expected Sasuke to be that quick in investigation. But this was Sasuke, and though arrogant, he was an expert shinobi._

"_Is there anything important that you want to contribute, Sakura? Or were you just too preoccupied with the disgusting males that were drunk enough to hit on you?"_

Whoa._ Where the hell did that come from? Sakura's face drained of any color and her muscles tightened with shock. The Uchiha's eyes pierced through her, _challenging_ her to answer back. But Sakura couldn't find a single word to throw at her annoyed teammate._

"_Teme, I'd watch your fucking tongue if I were—"_

"_Naruto." Kakashi spoke firmly and shut the blond man up in an instant. The aged ninja turned to Sasuke, but not before he cast his open eye upon Sakura._

"_Sasuke, you and Sakura are teammates. If there is any tension between you—or, for that matter, any of us—that could jeopardize this mission. And yes, although the information Sakura picked up was basic, it is still important nonetheless. Every detail counts."_

"_Hn."_

What a complete croc.

But despite the protests she had made to her team captain, here Sakura was, positioned in the market. And next to her was the teammate/husband/idiot fussing over some insignificant object on some merchant's table. Sakura looked over to find her "uncle" haggling over the price of a cookbook to take home to the "Mrs."

She felt like punching somebody. And in normal circumstances she probably would've taken it out on Naruto. Or at the very least one chakra fueled power punch into a nearby tree trunk—a really thick one too. Just the thought of pulverizing something made Sakura's palms itch and her blood pump.

But she was on a mission. And she was already treading on thin ice for bringing practically nothing to the table during their first briefing. _Kami_ knew she would be in a shit load of trouble for blowing their cover by giving any sign of her being a kunoichi.

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself down. She needed to focus. So what if she messed up the first night? At least she had some viable information to go on, and now she knew the background story to this city and its current situation.

"'Is there anything _important_ you want to contribute, Sakura?' How dare he?" She sneered mockingly under her breath. Sakura was just getting her already weak ego up and here came Sasuke in all of his golden glory, shredding what she had built for herself. Okay, that was all, no more thinking about last night. She really needed to pull her conscience in and pay attention.

She needed to get more information.

Sakura looked down the street and decided to try the plant booth not too far from her. She walked slowly, her eyes roaming over the busy bazaar, and she felt her mind sink into her character. She was a niece, a student to her uncle, and interested in new information about plants. Okay, shouldn't be too hard.

"Hello, young lady, can I interest you in some mugwort? Or how about some soap lily?"

"Hm…no, thank you. But I'll take a look at these interesting plants here…"

There was the smallest of pauses before the man spoke to her once more. "Come in from a small village?"

Sakura blinked a few times towards the merchant and nodded. "How could you tell?" Sakura could feel her pulverized ninja pride being stomped on. Not even two seconds in and this man already pegged her as a village girl. The kunoichi really needed to work on her acting.

"When you've lived in a city all your life, you can usually tell the difference between those who lived in a countryside village or in a smoky metropolis like this. Your complexion, though light, has a warm glow to it that only a fresh and unblocked sun can bring." The man smiled and looked over the kunoichi's shoulders. "Are those your companions?"

Sakura turned to see Kakashi and Naruto now both at a ceramic booth. "Yes, my uncle and a friend of his." Sakura picked up a potted plant and admired the coloring of its leaves. She had only seen this type of plant when she visited Tama's village, _Antiquus Angelus. _She knew this plant ran for a very high price, close to that of what a house would cost in the lower district of Konoha. This man was packing some very high quality materials.

"Oh, now, now. You can't lie to ol' Hiroki. That blond man there is more than just your uncle's friend."

Sakura's eyes widened for a split second before she gathered herself to look into Hiroki the plant merchant's eyes. Hiroki smiled a gummy grin, wrinkling his face with age and knowing. What was this man's intention?

"You like him, eh?"

Sakura sighed inwardly and refrained from rolling her eyes. "No, no. He's just my uncle's friend." She cursed inwardly. She needed to build up her character, but here was a simple plant merchant, already cracking through her shell. How pathetic. Were Sakura placed in a much more dangerous environment, her cover would be blown and her throat would already be sliced open.

A brazen smile slicked across the older man's face, and Sakura let slip the lightest of blushes. She tried to cover her face with the expensive plant she held, but Hiroki's eyes caught her color and his smile thickened.

"Well, there's only one option left for you, milady."

Sakura sighed in defeat, putting the plant back down onto the table. "And what option is that?" This was getting nowhere and she needed to find someone who could tell her more about Yuki and the takeover of Diamond Country.

"Why, to go see the fortune teller by the Diamond Booth!" There was a certain twinkle in the merchant's eye that Sakura wanted to snap right off of him.

"A fortune teller?" Sakura had had her fortune told before, and she thought once was enough. Before Shikamaru, Ino had taken her to see if one of the many blonde's suitors would be worth her time. The pink haired kunoichi could have told her blonde friend at a much cheaper price that any man she met after five hours of hard drinks could be disqualified as a potential soul mate. And although it was kind of cool to watch the fortune teller do her magic, it just felt like a waste of time.

"Yes, she is particularly well known for her accuracy of fortunes in romance! I myself had visited her the day I met my lovely pearl, Aimi," he said, "and I swear to you on my mother's grave that this woman told that my girl and I were to have the happiest marriage. And here I am standing before you today, still over the moon for my dearest!"

Sakura had to admit that plucked at her heartstrings. She thought it was absolutely romantic and sweet, but this was just not the time to do something like stopping by a fortune teller. She needed to pick up the slack she was dragging so effectively thanks to this merchant. She shifted her foot, fully intending upon getting the hell out of this man's peripheral vision.

"But…" His voice darkened a little, and it caught Sakura's senses. "You best be careful around her. Madam Shiori has not been the same since the town was sold. She's a bit…" Hiroki lowered his voice and leaned in close to Sakura. "She rants about some crackpot story over and over to anyone who would give an ear. Something about…what was it? A cloud? The sky? No, no, no—that wasn't it. Something about how the number nine will bring bad luck…"

"I thought nine was a lucky number." Sakura remembered clearly somewhere in a scroll she read that nine was indeed a holy number being comprised of three threes, three being the god's number.

"Well, they're just stories she tells. But her fortunes are spot on, I tell you. Give the woman a visit and I'm sure that friend of your uncle's will be something much more to you afterwards."

"Sakura."

The pink haired woman turned around and almost sighed in relief at the arrival of her team captain. Kakashi was dressed in a monotone colored cloak and a scarf that hid what his normal shinobi outfit would, though it spoiled any chances his ex-students had to get a glimpse of the elusive ninja's face.

"Ah, O-Oji-san. I was just looking for some new plants to bring back to Oba-san."

Kakashi's viewable eye crinkled in a smile. "That's wonderful, Sakura. How about some daisies? Your aunt is quite partial to them." The silver haired man turned to Hiroki and his smile widened. "Good day, sir. Do you happen to carry any daisies?"

"Hm, no, I do not."

"That's too bad. Well, maybe my niece and I will be back to take a better look at your stock of Bearberry later, then."

"We have plenty, sir! Please do come by," Hiroki said, "and don't forget, Miss, to go and see Madam Shiori. She's never wrong!"

"Ah…okay," Sakura answered.

She felt Kakashi press his hand to the small of her back to lead her away. Inside Sakura began screaming at herself for remaining at a dead end for so long. That man didn't produce any information—and what was worse? Kakashi had to come in to pull her out. She had screwed up once again.

The two walked farther along and met up with a bouncing Naruto. The blond smiled widely towards Sakura and held up a bag of jerky proudly.

"Sakura-chan, do you want some?" he asked.

"No thanks, Naruto." Sakura looked over the streets of the bazaar and sighed. What the hell was she supposed to do? She felt absolutely insignificant to this mission. No doubt Sasuke was gathering information that would become vital. And by the looks of things, she knew Naruto had at least found out some things at the restaurants and other food stands that lined the streets.

Sakura felt absolutely useless.

"_Is there anything important that you want to contribute, Sakura?"_

A gentle and warm touch across her hand snapped Sakura's senses into focus. The woman turned and looked down to see Naruto's pinky grazing across the kunoichi's right hand. She felt her chest tighten and a small smile curved her lips ever so slightly. Naruto was much more in tune to her emotions than she thought. Sakura returned his affection by linking her pinky with his and squeezing in a grateful response. But she let go just as fast. _Focus, Sakura._

"Where would you like to go now, Oji-san?"

"The Diamond Booth," Kakashi said.

"Very we—"

"_Somewhere between the Earth and the Sky…" _

A small and still melody reverberated in Sakura's ear, like the shimmering sound of wind chimes. The tune was familiar, though she could not place it. Her emerald eyes flickered all around to find the source of the music. Something deep inside the caverns of her mind was telling her to find it. Find whoever, whatever was singing that achingly familiar melody.

"Sakura?" She heard Kakashi call out to her, but she ignored him. Everything else faded into the background as that melody came once more.

"_She looks for my soul, for there it should fly" _

It was closer; she was walking right towards the person- she assumed female by the pitch of the sound. It seemed like a far away memory, this song. Where had she heard it?

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong? Where are you going?" Naruto's faint voice called out to her. Apparently she had picked up her pace to a fine sprint. That voice in the back of her mind told her she needed to find the source. Find the source. Find the source. _Find the source._

And there it was. _she _was.

An aged woman dressed in a deep royal violet cloak sat on a blanket, watching people pass her by. Beside her was a box with a few lonely coins and a piece of dirtied paper. The old woman's eyes were a milky white—she was blind. Though her eyes were weak, her voice was haunting and strong. The melody drew Sakura in like a siren's song drew sailors to their watery graves.

Suddenly the tune stopped and Sakura found herself standing directly in front of the older woman.

"Hello," the blind woman said.

"Hello," Sakura replied.

"You took quite a while to get here, didn't you?"

"What?"

"Sit down. I will tell you your fortune in love."

Sakura's mind reeled and she knew she was looking at Madam Shiori, the crazy yet accurate fortune-teller.

"Oh, no, thank you."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto stopped right by her side, breathless. "What happened? You suddenly ran off…"

"You need to be careful." She heard Kakashi behind her. Sakura felt her stomach drop in guilt. What had happened to her? It was almost as if she were under a spell when she heard that tune. Naruto took her hand and turned her around to face their destination, for across the way stood a large and elaborate tent called _The Diamond Booth_. Men and women were flocking around the tent, calling out numbers and unfamiliar names—all crying out for a piece of shining carbon. This was where they would most likely find their answers.

"Oh, my…that's quite a company you keep, my young kunoichi."

The three shinobi froze.

Kakashi spoke first. "That's quite an assumption, ma'am."

"I may be blind, but I'm not ignorant like the rest of these foolish people." Shiori stood up and craned her neck to look among the three teammates. "My, my, Sakura. The Silver Fang and the Kyuubi vessel. Ah, but one is missing. He must be elsewhere in the city. But it does not matter. They'll only follow the fox."

"What are you talking about, granny?" Naruto called out in an irritated voice.

"You are being followed like a frightened mouse by a hungry cat. Soon you will be driven into a corner and you will come to face what you have held inside for so long." Shiori's voice was grave.

"Fear the Valley of Stars, for they are the ones who have been swallowing us piece by piece. And you, fox, are the delicious heart that is ever so savored. That vile woman has a score to settle and you will not stand in her way."

"You're really pissing me off, you old bag—"

"Wait!" Sakura hissed and turned her attention back to Shiori. "That song—"

"The Tale of the Bloody Moon." The fortune teller's voice was firm. "If you cannot remember it well, you must go back to find those who do."

"But…why do I…why do I feel it's important?"

"Because it is the story of our destruction and their victory."

"Whose victory?" Kakashi broke in.

"Ah, there is the question that I have answered."

"There is no Valley of Stars," the silver haired ninja said.

"Isn't there?"

"No."

"Then the ones who have been conquering all the small countries must not truly exist." The sarcasm was only too palpable. "Then you should have nothing to worry about. Run back to your leader and tell her that everything is fine." A smile drew across the woman's face and her milky eyes pierced through Sakura.

"Good luck with that Uchiha boy. He will be quite the handful once he realizes his own demise. It should be quite the spectacle, really. And as for your husband…well, relationships are never easy." The woman's head snapped up and over to her left. The color drained from her face.

"Madam—" Sakura's voice wavered. The older woman looked absolutely petrified. The kunoichi's blood ran cold.

In an instant, Shiori snatched Sakura's hand from Naruto's and pulled her in, the woman's rank breath hot as it hit the kunoichi's face. "Listen close and listen well. Should the five find you, it will be your end. Do not let them get to the fox. Even if one drop of blood were to spill by her hand, it will be just enough to enter. Go to Asuka and she will help. If she tries to evade your questions, tell her I sent you. Tell her that it's time; the last Great War is upon us."

"War?" Kakashi pulled Sakura away, and the moment Shiori let go of Sakura, the old woman evaporated into smoke.

The three shinobi stood in silence for a long time, staring at the empty space that had held the fortune teller. The people around them still bustled with life, the city unaffected by the enigmatic events that had taken place right in the heart of the bazaar. Children raced past them laughing, and one bumped into Sakura. That jolt forced the gears in her mind to finally turn. Sakura sifted through what she had been told by the old woman.

"So this non-existent Valley of Stars must have been the rowdy foreigners Tsunade-shissou told us about," she said. "They must have been behind the takeover."

"Takeover_s_," Naruto corrected. "That means other countries have been—"

"Quiet. Both of you," Kakashi whispered. His visible eye was flickering rapidly in thought. Sakura knew there was only one thing left to ask.

"Where do we go, Kakashi?"

The middle aged man looked over to the younger couple with a calm exterior, though Sakura could tell that his mind was roaring. This was a lot to process, even for an experienced jounin like Hatake Kakashi.

"We report back to Konoha immediately."

Sakura nodded in agreement. Above all else, they needed to report back to Tsunade-shissou and tell her of their findings. But her blond companion wasn't so willing to accept the decision.

"But sensei, that granny was just a crackpot witch. You don't really believe what she—"

Kakashi took a deep breath, obviously swallowing back some frustration. "We are returning to Konoha, Naruto. And as your captain, that is an _order_. Do you understand?"

* * *

A full and pregnant moon rested high up in the sky as she showered her beams down onto the royal courtyard of Diamond Country. Within the walls of the square stood five individuals cloaked in black. Standing in front of them was a very irritated woman.

"She…evaporated."

"Yes, Mother." Koichi spoke first. He always did.

"She must be dead," Nina chimed in.

"Or she escaped," their mother said. The five could tell the woman's blood was boiling with rage at the thought of the blind witch escaping from their clutches once again. They had almost had her, but the moment the five were ready to make their move, she disappeared.

"No. Renshi could not sense her presence." Sango was always the one to try and soothe her mother's woes and furies, though it rarely worked. The woman was volatile, and it was a rarity that the children would leave without a wound or worse.

"Is this true, Renshi?"

Renshi did not speak, for he never spoke. Since the day he was born, he was always the silent one. But it was said that silence brought death. Renshi nodded, his black eyes dark and certain.

"Mama…" The youngest of the five walked over and tugged on his mother's blue silk kimono. The rest of his siblings held their breath. Their mother was never one to be touched, not even by her own children. Goro had yet to learn at his tender age.

"What?"

"We saw him. He was there." Goro's eyes lit up in expectation. What a fool he was, the other four thought as they stilled their bodies.

"Well, then you must have him," she replied simply, a smile drifting across her terrifyingly beautiful face. "Where is he?"

The five said nothing. The smile on their mother's pale face turned into a vicious snarl. Her iridescent hair whipped out behind her in a wind no one else could feel.

"_Where is he?_"

"He was with others. And he was in a crowd. It would've drawn too much attention, Mother." Koichi looked straight ahead, not daring to look into the eyes of the water demon.

"Well, that's what _this_ little brat is for!" The woman emitted a deafening roar and grabbed the youngest by his arm, shaking the terrified boy violently. The wrath of the water demon was not something one wanted to incur.

"You are all _incompetent_! Absolutely useless!"The demon woman flung her youngest child towards one of the concrete walls in a fit of rage. His small body exploded into a rain of glowing shards and, in the wind, scattered all over the courtyard. The water demon growled in disgust towards her other four silent children.

"Gather Goro up. I will not stand having any lazy children who lay about while my precious wishes go unmade. Make sure you five isolate that fox. But we still need to build my army, so toy with him and whomever's close to him for a little while."

"Yes, Mother."

The demon's eyes sparkled between an icy blue and white. "I will destroy what's left of his home before I destroy what's left of him, that fucking _coward._"


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Because Sakura's family background is shrouded in mystery, I had to create one for her. So, if we find out about her family in future chapters from the manga and my version doesn't match up…well, I apologize, but I won't change it. Though, I promise to try and keep it within a canon environment. **

**And- It's my one year anniversary for my NaruSaku stories! Happy Valentines Day and Happy New Lunar Year!**

* * *

The team traveled all night and reached their village right at the break of dawn. They raced to the Hokage's tower, their feet barely grazing the rooftops they flew across. It was almost as if they were racing against the rays of the morning sun. Sakura leapt swiftly from the tips of the rooftops, keeping the strong pace of her team captain's. Her heart was pounding and her muscles were aching from their unwavering use, but she spoke not one word of protest. If what Shiori said was right, then they were on the brink of a war. They didn't know the reason for this sudden opposition or this Valley of the Stars's target, but hesitation could be the Fire Country's downfall. The moment any warfare was scented, it was a shinobi's duty to report back to their Hokage.

"Will Tsunade-baa-chan even be there?" When Sakura heard Naruto's hoarse voice to her left, she felt the urge to look into his calming blue eyes, but she knew she needed to focus on their destination.

"I sent Pakkun ahead of us," was all the silver haired man said. Kakashi's nin-dog was a reliable resource to tap into when an urgent message needed to be delivered.

They had arrived at the door to Tsunade-shissou's office, and the Team Seven captain wasted no time on formalities like knocking. Sakura followed behind Naruto and Sasuke, standing by her teammates' side the moment the kunoichi closed the door behind her. Tsunade-shissou was sitting behind her desk, holding a sleepy looking Toru. Sakura could feel her heart flutter at the sight of her son and smiled lightly despite the growing pains in her muscles and the layers of sweat and dirt that covered her body. It was hard not to rush over to take her son into her arms and hold him.

"I suppose this is important," the Godaime said as she stood up to greet the exhausted shinobi.

"You've no idea…" Naruto said.

"Oh?"

"Godaime-sama," Kakashi began, "we learned about a recent exchange of power in Diamond Country and have reason to believe that a Village of the Stars is behind it. They have been rumored to be taking over other small countries, one by one." The middle-aged ninja paused, and Sakura could see he was thinking through his next choice of words very wisely. The silence filled the air, letting Sakura's physical state take the front seat again. She could feel her blood pump painfully throughout her; especially in the soles of her feet. The pink haired woman took a deep breath and called her chakra to soothe the harshest of the aches. She knew that would be enough for now.

"Argh, I can't take this silence! Look, Baa-chan, some old magic hag told us that some Valley of the Stars was going to declare war. We don't know who they want to fight and we don't know why." Naruto took a deep breath of relief and smiled. "There…done."

Sakura's glare was only topped by Sasuke's, and Naruto winced at the palpable frustration sent by the two. That idiot needed to learn about some basic diplomacy.

"What else did she say?" This time the older woman's eyes were locked onto her student.

Years of training left Sakura with no hesitation when a question was asked by Shissou—even when her insides twisted at the thought of what she would have to do. "She said some unit of five people is following us and we are not to let them get to the fox."

Tsunade-shissou's eyes instantly went to Naruto. In her arms, Toru began to fuss, and as was in the Hokage's very medical nature, Tsunade-shissou began to tend to him.

"Is that all?" The blonde woman's voice was low as her eyes flickered back to the Team Seven captain. Kakashi looked calm, but then again, he was never one to reveal his emotions so readily.

"Shiori told us to go see Asuka…and to tell her that the Great War is upon us."

There was a long and unpleasant silence that grew in the room. In all of Sakura's years as the fifth Hokage's apprentice, she had seen many different emotions demonstrated by her shissou: fury, grief, disgust, pride, joy, more rage, more sadness… But never…_never_ had the Uzumaki woman seen fear. Not when they had been on the brink of destruction by the Akatsuki, or even when one of their own was walking the line between life and death.

The look that drew over the Godaime's face as Kakashi spoke was foreign to the apprentice. And it felt _wrong_. Sakura rubbed her eyes to adjust to the unfamiliar sight. The blood drained from Tsunade-sama's face and the hands that held Sakura's child shook slightly.

"Tsunade-sama…" Sasuke broke his silence. He sensed it too. The pink haired woman felt something in the pit of her stomach tighten painfully as Tsunade's slight shaking began to escalate to a full body trembling. Naruto wasted no time in pulling Toru from the older woman's arms. Sakura rushed to her shissou's side and helped the Hokage to her seat, and the kunoichi bit her tongue as her hands touched the ice cold skin of the Godaime.

"Shissou?" Sakura's voice was barely above a whisper, though it seemed to echo throughout the office like a painful scream. Suddenly Tsunade was still and her eyes were pale—she must be going into shock.

"Sakura—!" Sasuke's voice called out like an order. With no time to bark back at him, Sakura merely nodded. It was like a burst of fresh air as the young medic-nin's mind switched gears. She placed her hands on either side of the Hokage's face and shot spurts of cool green chakra right into the blonde woman. This fear from a mere string of sentences had paralyzed their high leader.

"Baa-chan, what the hell is going on?!" Naruto held onto a now wailing Toru. The blond father jumped in surprise to the infant's cries and tried to calm him.

Sakura ignored all the orders being shouted around her. She was sure her team captain was trying to tell her something, but all that mattered now was bringing back their Hokage to consciousness. The woman pooled her chakra into the older woman's central nervous system, overriding what the brain was doing. She sent signals throughout the body to relax the muscles and calm the constricting veins. And soon, the heart slowed to a healthier pace, and the joints between the bones were relieved. Blood calmly flowed, bringing the color back to her shissou's face. And then those brown eyes sharpened.

"Sakura, water…" Tsundade-shissou's voice was hoarse as she spoke, but it was a clear and steady order. Barely a second passed before Sakura pressed a cold cup of water to the woman's lips.

No one spoke. No one dared to—even Toru had settled down. The Hokage finally straightened in her seat, regaining her composure.

" Kakashi," she said, " your team is to immediately go to Asuka's home."

There was a sense of hesitation that crossed the captain's face as he registered Tsunade-shissou's words. Finally the silver haired shinobi nodded and looked over to Sakura for the slightest second. Sakura felt her mind buzz with the new mission and suddenly froze. Asuka…Asuka…_Haruno_? The kunoichi stood firmly and looked into her trainer's brown eyes, her heart pounding furiously.

"Shissou…you can't possibly mean that _I_ have to—"

"You are a part of Team Seven, aren't you, Sakura? So by team, I would assume that would include _all_ of us." Sasuke's voice had the bitter taste of annoyance coupled with his usual glassy stare. Sakura narrowed her look to the Uchiha man but didn't give him the pleasure of a retort. She didn't know what the hell had him in a foul mood, but she didn't give two shits about that. The pink haired woman turned back towards her Shissou to find the blonde woman looking at her softly.

"I apologize, Sakura. I understand your apprehension, but this is not something you—nor I—have any say in. Asuka Haruno is the only person who can clear this matter for us—because if your information source was valid…we're about to be thrown into war."

"Asuka…Haruno?" Naruto's voice sounded, and in habit, Sakura looked to her husband. The blond man's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Sakura…I didn't know…"

"You can bring your teammates up to date on your family matters while you make your way to Asuka's home." The Godaime's voice was tinged with frustration. "I assume you still know where she lives?"

"I've only been there once, Shissou…" Her memory was a little fuzzy about how her parents had brought her to Grandmother Haruno's new house so long ago. She was sure it was just north of the town…had they crossed a river or a mountain range? Maybe it was both.

"That's one more than anyone else in this village." Sakura watched her Hokage's eyes soften once more. "It might help if you bring Toru with you. It could…soften her a little bit."

Sakura looked to Toru and saw her infant son smile widely. Surely her shissou was joking. Bring Toru, a six month old baby, on a mission? But this was to her grandmother's home. A place she only visited once—ever since the old _bag_ decided to leave.

Sakura took a deep breath. "I refuse. I won't let that…_woman_ see my son."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested. "This is your family, _ne_? Why wouldn't you want to include your grandma in something like a grandkid?" Naruto's eyes hardened suddenly and Sakura froze. Of course Naruto would be upset. Outside of Naruto and Toru, Sakura had a family—whereas Naruto didn't. No Uzumaki uncle or aunt to share the joy of marriage and children with, no Uzumaki grandparents to spoil Toru or congratulate Sakura or Naruto…

_I'm such a fool_.

Sakura was completely torn. Although she should be absolutely grateful that she had a grandmother…for the greater part of her life, she was taught to forget Asuka Haruno. The pink haired woman looked to her small family and sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Naruto was right. Toru would be just the thing to heal old wounds. At least…she hoped so.

"Okay. We'll bring Toru."

"Good. You leave by the end of the hour. I suggest all of you shower. I know Asuka Haruno to be one who prefers a very well kept company."

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha entered his home silently and quickly stripped away his soiled clothes. He tossed them into the basket he kept by the side of the doors to the master bathroom. One of the maids he kept would come to take care of his laundry later that day. He paid a nice sum to a staff of servants to keep his home in good condition while he was away on missions. Sasuke didn't find chores an annoyance—in fact, they were a good way to build discipline and a good, solid work ethic. But when there was only one person in a large estate like his…

Sasuke was quick to shower and clean away any soot or soil that had gotten onto him. He used a scentless soap, as was his preference. A ninja should leave no trace to be caught: sight, sound, nor scent- something he found was one of Sakura's numerous errors. Whenever they had a mission, she would wear some bothersome flower fragrance—it was light, but it was enough to annoy the shinobi. The Uchiha pushed his thoughts away and found he had scrubbed his shoulder till it was raw. He growled at his carelessness and picked up his pace. For sure he would be the first to arrive at their meeting site, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

As he concluded his shower, his thoughts began to process their new mission. Asuka Haruno, from what Sasuke had gathered, was Sakura's estranged paternal grandmother. How could she have been connected to that fortune teller back in the Diamond Country? The Uchiha hated having to rely on others to gather information, but this was something he would have to hear from Sakura herself.

Sasuke was clean, dressed, and packed within minutes.

* * *

"All right, Sakura, tell us what's going on." Naruto had miraculously held his tongue for that whole hour before they met up with the rest of Team Seven, and he swore he could feel his muscles twitching. It was going against his nature to not immediately clear up any confusion, especially since he would get confused most of the time. And man, this was one big ass mess.

"Well…"she said as Naruto watched Sakura shift the strap that held Toru onto her back in what looked like some weird cocoon. Naruto was a bit disappointed because he wanted to hold onto Toru, but Sakura-chan promised the blond ninja that they could switch on and off with holding him. Naruto never liked to be too far from his son, and though he knew he was being like one of those parents who would spoil their kids rotten with mountains of hugs and kisses, he didn't care. He was going to make sure Toru's life would be filled with love and warmth. And if anyone were to threaten that—_Kami _help the poor bastards.

"Dammit, this stupid strap!" Sakura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts of violence and plunged him right into ones of a much more lecherous nature. Sakura was trying to loosen a strap that was, rather nicely, pressing her breasts together. Naruto inched closer and helped Sakura with the tie, though his eyes were practically glued to her plump chest. Naruto had always loved the way her breasts perked just so, and their creamy color just made his mouth water with the thought. And that delicious flower soap she used didn't help his situation one bit.

"Naruto, where the hell are you looking?"

_Oh, shit._

"Uh…is the strap too loose?" Naruto tried to desperately change the subject, even though he knew that if it weren't for their infant son strapped to his wife's back, face would be kissing the pavement.

"Pay attention, _Dobe_. This isn't some family date for the three of you. We're on a mission." Sasuke sounded pretty ticked, but when was that ever a surprise?

"Shut up, _Teme_!" Naruto fought the stupid blush that came over his face and forced any thoughts that weren't related to the mission into the back of his mind. _That's right_, Naruto thought,_ we're going to meet Sakura's baa-chan…_

"All right, Sakura, while you lead us, you can tell us about your grandmother." Kakashi nodded toward Sakura, and the woman nodded.

* * *

"There's not too much to tell…" Sakura led the men west of the village. She was sure of it now; the house was due north past the river that snaked between the twin mountains. It would take them a good three hours if they kept a solid pace.

"Well, any information would help out," Kakashi gently urged her on.

"My grandmother used to live with me and my family. From what I heard from my mom, my grandmother had raised my dad alone for most of his life because my grandfather died in the Second Ninja World War. She used to be a kunoichi herself but had retired to raise my father and became a seamstress for a clothing shop to get them by. My grandmother was a very…strong-willed woman. My dad told me she was called the _Wild Sakura_ because of her hair color…and because of her uncultivated personality." Sakrua tried to play down her grandmother's famed rage, but she was sure it wasn't working too well by the looks on her teammates' faces. She was sure as hell Kakashi had heard something about Asuka Haruno from Shissou…

"When I was born, my mother and father decided to name me Sakura—because I looked so much like my grandmother. And she was gentle towards me. She taught me things that my parents didn't and gave me all the love that I ever could need. I really loved her." Sakura sighed and pushed her way through a thicket of berries that signaled they were getting closer to the river. "But what my family tried to hide about my grandmother…" The kunoichi bit her lip at those painful memories so long ago. It had been the worst and the most exciting time of her young life. She had been granted admission into the Ninja Academy and her parents were absolutely thrilled. But her grandmother…

"_You're lying." Asuka Haruno's blue eyes were thick and stone cold as she looked to her son. "Kaede, you jest."_

"_Mother…" Sakura's father looked worn, but the young girl knew he wasn't going to back down. "There's nothing we can do about it now. Sakura has enlisted into the Academy and will be starting lessons this spring."_

_The little pink haired girl clutched one hand to her father's dark pants and another to a piece of parchment that proved she was wanted in the Academy. This was her first step to breaking her thick shell—as Ino had put it, and Sakura had thought her grandmother would be proud of her for following in the footsteps of the _Wild Sakura_. But Grandmother only looked upset…_

"_First, you…" Sakura watched her__grandmother's pale skin darken to a red she had only seen once before on a pretty kimono at a New Year's festival. "And now Sakura? Why must you always aim to defy me…to _hurt_ me?"_

Hurt Grandmother?_ Sakura thought. She would never want to hurt Grandmother. "Grandmo—"_

"**Silence, child.**_" Sakura jumped back in surprise at the tone of voice that came from her beloved grandmother. Those soft blue eyes she used to stare into for ages were now boiling with anger. It frightened the little girl so much that she burrowed her head into her father's leg. Sakura had seen her grandmother's rage before, but it had never…_never_ been directed towards her. Yes, she had been disciplined, but this…was stone cold rage._

"_Mother! You have no right to be angry at Sakura."_

"_No right? No_ right_?! That is my grandchild! And you've just sentenced her to a life of violence and sadness! I never wanted that life for you, yet you chose it anyway. Even though you knew that very same profession took your father's life and nearly destroyed this village! Ninjas are a curse to this world—for all they bring is violence upon the simple civilians who want to live a normal life! I curse the very day I was forced to become a kunoichi."_

"_And that's your choice, Mother. But…Sakura wants to become a kunoichi."_

"_Only because you polluted her mind with your thoughts of that filthy world."_

"_I love being a shinobi, Mother. I protect this village from the dangers that you know all too well lurk out there. And they appreciate it! Why don't you ask Arisu?"_

"_Your wife was the exception. And I question her sanity for it." The older woman was stubborn._

"_Well, like it or not, Mother, Sakura is on her way to becoming a kunoichi. And you can either be a part of it and her life—or not at all."_

"_You're making a mistake, Kaede." Sakura heard her grandmother's stiff footsteps going towards the door, and the little girl lifted her head to watch her grandmother leave their house for the very last time._

"_No, Mother…you are." Sakura looked up to see a look of pure anguish in her father's eyes. Her little hands tightened their grip on his pants, and the man looked down to her and cracked a small, fake smile._

"_Don't worry, honey. Grandmother will be back…"_

"But she never did. My parents took me to see her once at her new house to try and persuade her to come back home, but she refused and turned us away." Sakura sighed as she finished her story and pushed along the winding river between the twin mountains. They were getting close.

"She hates shinobi…" Naruto repeated to himself in disbelief. Sakura couldn't blame him. It wasn't common to find someone who so blatantly hated the shinobi world in the village of Konoha, but there was always an exception. And Asuka Haruno was just one of those people who waved that furious flag high.

"Which will make discussion with her quite troublesome," Kakashi remarked.

"It's also the reason the Hokage wanted us to bring the brat," Sasuke noted with a look to the wide awake Toru who was now being carried on his father's chest. The infant's green eyes were soaking in the entire scene around him. This was his first trip outside of the village.

"HEY! Don't call Toru a brat, _Teme_!"

"Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, _Dobe_."

"Well, you're no Prince-fuck-Charming, either."

Sakura's patience snapped. "Naruto! What the hell did I tell you about cussing around Toru? His mind is a sponge! He's going to take in everything he sees and hears and repeat it back like a damned parrot! So shut up and behave!" She could feel her face turn red as she looked down to a shocked, mute Naruto and Toru. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but instead she sighed and kissed the top of Toru's head in a silent apology to her son. She turned back around and walked forward through a knot of trees that was the prelude to a stone bridge. Just across that bridge and the house should be in sight.

That was when they all heard it.

It would've killed any normal civilian. And were Sakura not so preoccupied, she would've sensed it earlier. But her foot had slipped past and pulled a string that triggered the hundreds of arrows that were now racing their way towards Team Seven.

"Quick! Get under the bridge!" Kakashi called out. Sakura made sure Naruto made it to the bridge in front of her, their precious cargo safe. The arrows scraped along the bridge and whipped into the knee deep river that, thankfully, was flowing moderately. Had it been summer, they would have all been swept away in the current. But the cold of the wintry water was just as unforgiving.

Sakura pressed herself close to Naruto so that her body covered Toru, just in case. She could feel Naruto's hot breath beating rhythmically onto her face, a welcomed warmth in the slush of river water. Sakura now wished that she had left Toru with her shissou.

"What was that?" Naruto looked down to Sakura.

"I don't know. It wasn't here the last time I came here." It was true. What they had just witnessed was a triggered trap. Meaning if there was one, there would be more.

"Keep your defenses up. Those arrows were clean and waxed, meaning it was a fresh trap. Someone could be tracking us." Kakashi's visible eye was scanning their perimeter, but Sakura didn't sense anyone out there. Who had set these traps?

"Okay," Kakashi whispered, "proceed with caution. Naruto, give Toru to Sakura. Sakura, stay in the center. The rest of us will wrap around you." Sakura immediately took Toru and strapped him to her chest. The little infant was quiet but his eyes were watering with worry. Sakura ran a gentle hand across his covered head to comfort the poor boy.

"And Sakura," Kakashi whispered enough for the whole team to hear, "should something happen, take Toru and _run_."

They took cautious steps out of the river while Sakura whispered lightly to guide Kakashi, who now lead the unit up front. Sasuke flanked the kunoichi's left, leaving Naruto to her right, though the blond shinobi drifted a little farther to cover his wife's back as well. All of Team Seven's senses were open wide to any more attacks.

Sakura scanned the perimeter, keeping one hand on a kunai tucked beneath her shorts and the other on Toru's head. The little boy was wide awake now and was fidgeting, obviously uncomfortable in this thick silence. Sakura knew he would begin to fuss soon, giving away their position, if they hadn't already.

Was this the Five? The group Shiori warned them about? Then shouldn't it be Naruto in the center holding tightly to their child? They would be after him, surely. The kunoichi didn't know anything about this enemy except their number, if their name was any obvious clue. Sakura felt her blood boil at the thought of someone laying a hand on her loved ones. If anything were to happen…

Kakashi lifted his hand as an order for them to stop. He then formed another signal to tell them something was up ahead. Sakura dug her heels into the soil beneath her, ready to pounce. She watched her team captain as he silently made his way a few yards ahead of them. Sakura watched with curious eyes, but she made sure she didn't leave herself completely open for any surprise attacks. No one was going to lay a single finger on her family.

The silver haired ninja stopped in his tracks and made a few quick hand gestures for a simple wind jutsu. The older man whipped his right hand out, and a strong current whipped the deep build-up of foliage into the air like a storm of leaves. The numerous bear traps that were once hidden by the leaves now lay visible to the ninjas.

"We're going to the trees," Kakashi said. And in one collected and fluid motion, they were all whisking their way through the vegetation. Each of the men was weaving through the branches, keeping their formation around Sakura, while the kunoichi was pulling Toru close to her, protecting him from any stray limb from a tree. She kept her eyes ahead, informing Kakashi that her grandmother's house was only a few hundred yards away.

The shuriken landed only a hair's breadth from Sakura's head. The kunoichi stopped immediately, whipping her kunai out. They needed to find their opponent's location immediately. Until then, they were sitting ducks. Sakura whipped her head about, but it didn't take her long to find the owner of the weapon that had lodged itself into the trunk of the tree that was mere centimeters from Sakura.

Down below them stood a tall, elder woman with beautiful silver hair pulled tightly back into a bun and furious blue eyes. She was dressed in a black kimono flecked with dancing blue butterflies that seemed like they would fly right off of the cloth. In the older woman's pale hand was a long steel sword, unsheathed and waiting. She had every intention to kill them and she looked like an all too worthy opponent for Team Seven of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Come down here, you damn fools. Or I'll slice you all for my bedroom rugs," she shouted testily. Sakura's heart leapt into her throat at the all too familiar voice and immediately sheathed her kunai. Despite her cherry hair having changed to almost iridescent silver, Asuka Haruno's personality was still the same as always.

Sakura smiled. "Hello, Grandmother."


End file.
